Head and neck cancer--emotional management

The complete care of a patient with head and neck cancer should attend to the emotional as well as the physical aspects of the disease; usually the physical component of the disease is emphasized, while care of the emotional response of the patient and family is rarely addressed. There is no single, caring way to respond or cope with the emotional aspects of this disease. Nonetheless, it should be underscored that communication between the providers of health care (i.e., physician, nurse, aid, therapist, etc.) and the patient and family should be maintained during all phases of care. This article describes an approach to providing emotional support to cancer patients and their families during the phases of initial diagnosis and treatment, posttherapy, rehabilitation, recurrence, dying, and death. The emotional response of the health care provider in these circumstances is also addressed.